Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Jan 2: The elderly ruler of Umm al-Quwain and Supreme Council Member, Shaikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mualla, has died, the state news agency WAM reported on Friday.
Umm al-Quwain is the smallest of the seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates. Shaikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mualla died in London on Friday, January 2.
UAE President Sheikh Khalifah bin Zayed al-Nahayan has ordered a week of national mourning and all government institutions to close for three days starting from Friday, WAM said.
The UAE's two most powerful emirates are Abu Dhabi, home to over 90 percent of the country's oil and the major contributor to the federal budget, and Dubai, the Gulf's tourism hub.
All celebrations and activities scheduled for Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the accession of Shaikh Mohammad as ruler of Dubai have been cancelled.